An 18-year-old driver was arrested after an accident involving a historic fountain in Orange County, California. This incident happened months after the same fountain was restored following a previous collision in 2023.
On November 24, the young driver, accompanied by a 17-year-old passenger was driving a black Honda CRV eastbound on Chapman Avenue in the city of Orange. The incident occurred just after midnight when the vehicle failed to slow down upon approaching the Plaza Park roundabout. Subsequently, the vehicle went over the curb and ended up striking several poles and a bench, ultimately crashing into the historic fountain at the center of the roundabout.
Reported security footage also collected at the scene suggested that the car was speeding down the road on a rainy night. The impact caused substantial front-end damage to the SUV. In addition, the broken bench and metal poles were fragmented across the plaza. The historics fountains edge tiles were also damaged during the impact.
Both the driver and his passenger suffered minor injuries while no bystanders were harmed in the incident. Orange Police Department later established that the driver, a resident of Rancho Santa Margarita, was not under the influence during the accident. However, he was detained for the possession of nitrous oxide and for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
This marks the second occasion where the fountain at Plaza Park suffered damage due to speeding drivers. In a related incident, the fountain had also been damaged by a carjacking suspect in 2023 who was being pursued by law enforcement.
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